1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to scuba diving equipment and more particularly, to an improved breathing regulator provided with a highly advantageous and novel exhaust assembly which is of a unique integrated configuration.
2. Prior Art
Scuba diving breathing regulators are well-known in the art. Typically, they constitute the second of two stages of air pressure regulation between one or more tanks of compressed air and the diver's respiratory system. Thus, one of the principal functions of a scuba diving breathing regulator is to provide air to the diver at the appropriate pressure to enable the diver to breathe normally underwater. Despite their seemingly simple function, breathing regulators have undergone a substantial degree of refinement in recent years as made evident by patents relating to the breathing regulator mechanisms which can assist divers to minimize the work required to breathe at various underwater depths. By way of example, patent application Ser. No. 820,845 filed Jan. 21, 1986 and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, relates to a highly advantageous adjustable venturi-assist breathing regulator mechanism. An additional important function of breathing regulators is to enable the diver to exhaust his lungs through the breathing regulator as part of the normal breathing cycle without requiring the diver to remove the regulator from his mouth. This particular function of the breathing regulator also serves the secondary purpose of enabling the passage of pressured air out of the regulator in the event that the diver is not ready or able to take all such air into his lungs.
Prior art breathing regulators typically use what is known as an exhaust tee to direct the exhaust air and other gases laterally away from the diver's face to minimize the extent of the possible interference with the diver's vision by the gas bubbles emanating from the breathing regulator exhaust. To accomplish this channeling of air away from the diver's face, typical prior art breathing regulators use an exhaust port connected to an elongated exhaust tee, typically made of neoprene or other flexible material which is connected to the port. The principal element of the exhaust tee is an elongated, hollow, cylindrical tube extending perpendicular to the exhaust port and opened at both ends to allow exiting of exhaust air away from the diver's mask.
Breathing regulators are provided with some form of exhaust valving to prevent water from entering the breathing regulator when the diver's lungs create a negative relative pressure within the regulator during the input portion of the breathing cycle. Such valving must normally be serviced periodically in order to remedy leaks or to remove possible blockage. Typically, the valving element is serviced at least on an annual basis in order to keep the breathing regulator in good working condition. As a result, there must be a means for providing access to the exhaust valve element and such access normally requires that the breathing regulator exhaust tee be removable by service personnel. Unfortunately, the removability feature of prior art exhaust tees can sometimes be a disadvantage to the diver. For example, there are occasions when such prior art removable exhaust tees inadvertently come off the exhaust port of the breathing regulator while the diver is underwater. As a minimum, such inadvertent disconnection between the exhaust tee and the exhaust port is an extreme inconvenience to the diver who must usually surface in order to attempt to put the exhaust tee back onto the breathing regulator port if that is at all possible. More often however, the exhaust tee is lost underwater and has to be replaced at substantial cost to the user. Equally important however is the disadvantage to the manufacturer insofar as the extra cost of the labor and materials involved in providing a removable exhaust tee of a material which noramally differs from the material of the regulator housing. Furthermore, such prior art rubber-like exhaust tees tend to be less resistant to ozone deterioration and deterioration from other environmental elements. Therefore they must be periodically replaced at added expense to the user and possibly with some sacrifice of reputation by the manufacturer.
As a result, there has been a long-felt need for an improved breathing regulator having an exhaust deflector which overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art. More specifically, there has been a need to provide a breathing regulator exhaust assembly which is designed to be made of the same material as the housing of the regulator, which may be integrated into the regulator, which obviates the prior art requirement for added labor, cost and replacement, which cannot come off inadvertently during a dive and be lost by the diver and which is more resistant to ozone deterioration and the other effects of environmental elements.